Miracle Cure or Medical Disaster: The Quackery Quiz

No one is more eager to open their wallet than someone suffering from a major malady. Unfortunately, unscrupulous schemers are quick to take advantage of this desperation -- hawking phony cure-alls and useless treatments that do little to heal what ails you. Take our quackery quiz to see how much you know about charlatans and crazy cures both past and present. (Image: Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

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Question 1 of 20

Dietician Johanna Brandt claimed to have cured her own stomach cancer in 1925 using this miracle food.

grapes

Brandt claimed that a grape-based diet cleared her of stomach cancer and used her experience to market her Grape Cure to the public. The American Cancer Society states that there is no evidence that a diet of grapes treats cancer or any other disease.

fish

raspberries

Question 2 of 20

In a 1970 paper, Dr. Linus Pauling touted the benefits of ingesting large quantities of this substance.

iron

milk

vitamin C

Despite winning two Nobel Prizes (for unrelated work), Pauling earned a reputation as a quack in some circles for claiming that excessive amounts of vitamin C could eradicate the common cold.

Question 3 of 20

George Washington was subjected to this bizarre treatment, which likely hastened his death.

lobotomy

phrenology

bloodletting

Physicians drained between 5 and 7 pints of blood from Washington in a single day, which most likely worsened his condition and led to his death in 1799.

Question 4 of 20

What conditions are magnets proven effective at treating?

arthritis

tremors

none

The National Institutes of Health states that there is no evidence that magnets help with pain or any other condition.

Question 5 of 20

Apitherapy treatments rely on products from this animal to treat disease.

honeybees

Apitherapy treatments are honeybee-based and may include the pollen, honey or hives of the bee. According to the American Cancer Society, while some apitherapy treatments show some promise in laboratory mice, there is no evidence that these treatments can be used to cure cancer or other conditions.

cows

jellyfish

Question 6 of 20

How many U.S. adults rely on homeopathy to treat disease each year?

40000

400000

4 million

Nearly 4 million American adults try homeopathy each year. This treatment, developed in Germany more than 200 years ago, relies on incredibly diluted quantities of various substances to treat disease. According to the NIH, there's little evidence that homeopathy is effective at treating any condition.

Question 7 of 20

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield gained followers when he claimed to have found a link between autism and this.

vegetables

vitamins

vaccines

Wakefield's study led many parents to skip routine vaccinations out of fears about autism. His study was later retracted, but the effects linger in the form of higher rates of measles, whopping cough and other diseases. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other major organizations agree that there is no scientific link between vaccines and autism.

Snake oil salesman Clark Stanley took advantage of a 19th century fascination with Chinese snake oil cures to dupe the public. His patented cure-all was really made of mineral oil and offered little benefit.

fish oil

olive oil

Question 9 of 20

How many people visit the alternative-health website Mercola.com each month?

20000

200000

2000000

Despite multiple warnings from the FDA and a Grade F rating from the Better Business Bureau, Dr. Joseph Mercola's website still sees 2 million visitors each month.

Question 10 of 20

Which TV doctor faced a Senate subcommittee in 2014 and was grilled about false advertising for weight loss products?

Dr. Phil

Dr. Northrup

Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz touted the benefits of green coffee beans and Garcinia Cambogia on his show, but evidence of the effectiveness of these supplements is still lacking.

Question 11 of 20

When did Congress pass the Pure Food and Drug Act?

1806

1856

1906

The 1906 passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act helped bring about the establishment of the modern FDA.

Question 12 of 20

Fletcherizing was a favorite treatment of physician John Harvey Kellogg. What did this treatment involve?

excessive chewing of food

Corn flake inventor Kellogg touted the benefits of fletcherizing, or chewing food into tiny pieces, at his Battle Creek Sanitarium. He was also a fan of cleansing the colon via frequent yogurt enemas.

radioactivity

electric shocks

Question 13 of 20

How do practitioners of chelation therapy promise to treat cancer?

with magnets

with acai berry

with chemical injection

Chelation therapy is a legitimate and effective way to treat lead poisoning by injecting a chemical known as EDTA into the body. Despite claims made by some alternative medicine practitioners, this treatment does not effectively treat other conditions like cancer or heart disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Question 14 of 20

Popular in the 1920s and 1930s, what did the Revigator promise to do?

restart a stopped heart

reverse signs of aging

add radioactivity to water

The Revigator was a special crock with a lining made from uranium, which was guaranteed to make your water extra radioactive. While popular at the time, it wasn't long until the public learned the true dangers of this type of product.

Question 15 of 20

Which of the following is the acai berry proven effective for?

anti-aging

weight loss

neither

Despite numerous claims, the National Institutes of Health state that the acai berry is not proven effective as either an anti-aging tool or a weight loss supplement. This simple yet delicious relative of the cranberry and blueberry continues to serve as the subject of many forms of quackery.

Question 16 of 20

Where did Wilhelm Reich claim to have discovered his miracle cure -- a form of energy known as orgone?

in the night sky

in the ocean

in a pot of beef stew

A pot of beef stew inspired Reich to develop special treatment boxes where he could capture orgone in the 1940s and 1950s. By sitting in these boxes, patients could "cure" diseases ranging from cancer to the common cold.

Question 17 of 20

What was Dr. John Brinkley famous for at the start of the 20th century?

electroshock therapy

lobotomies

goat glands

Brinkley promised that he could cure conditions like impotence and dementia by implanting goat glands into his patients. In addition to his role as the "goat gland doctor," he was also a radio pioneer and a two-time candidate for governor in the state of Kansas.

Question 18 of 20

Which of the following is used as part of the Gerson therapy for treating cancer?

coffee enemas

Gerson therapy requires a special diet along with coffee enemas to help rid the body of cancer. The American Cancer Society warns that this therapy is not only ineffective, but also potentially dangerous.

sensory deprivation

electroshock

Question 19 of 20

What did Marjorie Phillips of Brockton, Massachusetts, claim was the cause of AIDS?

flatworms

Phillips claimed that flatworms were the true cause of AIDS and promised to cure the disease in as few as 7 minutes. The Massachusetts Attorney General issued a restraining order against her in the mid-1990s, forcing her to stop making unproven claims in online ads.

lack of exercise

aliens

Question 20 of 20

What ingredient features heavily in a serum marketed as the "Greek Cancer Cure"?

olive oil

brown sugar

The Greek Cancer Cure uses a serum made of brown sugar and vitamins to "treat" the disease. Its creator temporarily lost his medical license when he refused to submit a sample of the serum to Greek authorities for testing. The American Cancer Society states that this treatment is not proven effective at preventing, detecting or treating cancer.